Inside the CREC: What It Is, Why It’s Controversial, and Why Pete Hegseth’s Affiliation Matters

Summary: The Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC) is a small, fast-growing Reformed denomination closely connected to pastor Doug Wilson of Moscow, Idaho. It has been at the center of multiple theological and cultural fights—from the “Federal Vision” debate to high-profile abuse-case handling and a slavery pamphlet controversy. With U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth now publicly aligned with a CREC congregation, the network’s teachings on gender, church–state relations, and Christian nationalism aren’t just inside-church debates; critics say they have real policy implications for the military and public life. crechurches.org+1AP News

---

What is the CREC?

The Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches describes itself as a global communion (130+ churches) with Presbyterian polity. Member congregations subscribe to historic Christian creeds and at least one Reformation confession, while allowing latitude on second-order issues across churches (e.g., some permit paedocommunion). Governance runs through regional presbyteries and a triennial council under a presiding minister, all detailed in its constitution and Book of Procedures. crechurches.org+1

The CREC’s own documents also include a “Book of Memorials”—official position statements on questions not fully covered by confessional standards (for example, opposition to women in combat). crechurches.orgchristcovenantcentralia.comccrchurch.org

---

The Controversies Around CREC

1) The “Federal Vision” fight

Over the 2000s, “Federal Vision” theology—associated with several CREC leaders—drew formal criticism from multiple Reformed bodies outside the CREC. The United Reformed Churches in North America (URCNA) adopted a detailed study condemning key FV teachings on justification, and the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) issued its own report warning against the movement’s doctrinal errors. (The CREC, for its part, has accommodated a range of views inside its communion.) urcna.orgPCA Historical Center

2) Handling of abuse cases (Sitler & Wight)

After national scrutiny of two sex-abuse cases linked to Christ Church (Doug Wilson’s congregation in Moscow, Idaho), a committee of CREC presiding ministers produced a report in 2017 assessing pastoral handling in the Sitler and Wight matters. Christ Church also published a timeline of the Sitler case. These documents remain reference points in ongoing debates about accountability and due process in the communion. moscowid.netChrist Church

3) “Southern Slavery, As It Was”

Doug Wilson co-authored a 1996 booklet, Southern Slavery, As It Was, which drew sharp criticism for both historical claims and plagiarism; the Southern Poverty Law Center documented side-by-side overlaps, and Wilson himself later acknowledged plagiarism problems on his blog. The pamphlet has been repeatedly cited by critics as evidence of revisionist approaches to U.S. slavery in Wilson’s orbit. Southern Poverty Law CenterBlog & Mablog

4) Memorials on women in combat and public schooling

CREC “memorials” adopted over time include explicit opposition to mustering women for combat and sharp skepticism toward government (“state”) schooling, positions that critics argue flow into a wider patriarchal and Christian-nationalist project. Supporters say memorials are principled, biblically grounded guidance; even some CREC pastors have publicly debated how they’re framed and used. crechurches.orgccrchurch.orgUri Brito

---

Why Pete Hegseth’s Involvement Raises the Stakes

Hegseth and a Tennessee CREC church

Recent reporting confirms that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attends Pilgrim Hill Reformed Fellowship (Goodlettsville, TN), a CREC congregation pastored by Brooks Potteiger; the church appears in the CREC’s official directory. PBS, AP, and other outlets have covered his affiliation. PBScrechurches.orgAP News

Amplifying Doug Wilson & CREC themes

Hegseth has drawn headlines for reposting a CNN segment featuring Wilson and allied pastors advocating positions like household-style voting and the rollback of women’s suffrage. He captioned one such post with the Wilson-linked slogan “All of Christ for All of Life.” Coverage also highlighted Wilson’s long-standing advocacy against LGBTQ rights (including calls to recriminalize gay sex) and embrace of Christian nationalism. The GuardianThem

Potential policy conflict zones

If a sitting Defense Secretary embraces a church network whose memorials oppose women in combat and whose leading pastor promotes explicitly Christian-nationalist goals, critics argue there are obvious collision points with military policy and constitutional norms (equal protection, established DoD standards on women’s service, and church–state separation). Newsrooms have framed that tension directly in the context of Hegseth’s role. AP News

---

“Christian Nationalism,” Reconstructionist Currents, and the CREC

Mainstream coverage now routinely links Wilson and the CREC to Christian nationalism and traces lines back to Christian Reconstructionism—a movement advocating comprehensive application of biblical law to civil society. A recent POLITICO magazine profile describes Wilson’s bid to take a Moscow, Idaho model national; AP likewise situates CREC within an arch-conservative, patriarchal project. (Wilson and CREC leaders argue they’re simply applying comprehensive Christian discipleship to all of life.) PoliticoAP News

---

Why Supporters Say the CREC Matters

• Confessional anchoring with latitude: The communion presents itself as classically Reformed yet “catholic” enough to welcome different confessional families, coordinated by a light central structure that prizes local-church initiative. crechurches.org
• Institution building: Schools, publishers, colleges, and media (e.g., New Saint Andrews College; Canon Press) have created a durable ecosystem for families seeking a holistic Christian culture. (Critics contend that’s precisely how ideological capture spreads.) crechurches.org

---

The Dangers Critics See (and How to Evaluate Them)

1. Gender equality & military readiness
   CREC memorials opposing women in combat clash with decades of DoD integration policy. A Defense Secretary sympathetic to that position could, in principle, pressure policy reviews on women’s billets or training standards. Even symbolic endorsements can chill recruitment and retention among women service members. ccrchurch.org
2. Church–state boundary erosion
   When top officials platform pastors who explicitly advocate Christian nationalism (e.g., privileging Christian doctrine in civil law), it raises Establishment Clause concerns and questions about the neutrality of command culture—especially in a religiously plural force. AP and PBS reporting explicitly flag this tension in connection with Hegseth and the CREC. AP NewsPBS
3. Normalization of illiberal proposals (e.g., household voting, anti-sodomy laws)
   Reposting material that praises repealing women’s suffrage or recriminalizing gay sex pulls those ideas from the fringe into mainstream debate. Even if not imminently actionable, such signaling can embolden subordinate leaders to test boundaries in policy memos, training environments, or chaplaincy practices. The GuardianThem
4. Accountability culture
   The Sitler/Wight dossier remains a case study in how much—or how little—outside oversight exists over church discipline in federated polities. Critics worry that a light central structure can lag on uniform safeguarding standards. The CREC counters that it did convene a presiding ministers inquiry and published findings—an accountability mechanism, if modest. moscowid.netChrist Church
5. Historical revisionism risk
   The Southern Slavery, As It Was affair shows how apologetic projects, if poorly sourced, can launder contested narratives into catechesis and schooling. Given Wilson-world’s outsized influence in the classical-Christian education space, the risk is not merely academic. Southern Poverty Law Center

---

How to Think (and Act) About All This

• Read primary sources. Start with the CREC Constitution/Book of Procedures and its Book of Memorials. They are the communion’s own articulations, not critics’ summaries. crechurches.org+1
• Cross-check with mainstream reporting. The AP, PBS NewsHour, and POLITICO offer accessible primers on the CREC’s footprint and Wilson’s project, including the Hegseth connection. AP NewsPBSPolitico
• Weigh theological critiques. The URCNA and PCA reports help non-specialists understand why “Federal Vision” set off alarms across Reformed denominations. urcna.orgPCA Historical Center
• Assess practical consequences. Ask how memorials on women in combat or sweeping Christian-nationalist claims would play in your workplace, school district, or—crucially—the chain of command. ccrchurch.org

---

Bottom Line

The CREC is not just another small Reformed body. It’s a purposeful ecosystem with outsized cultural ambitions—schools, media, and a political theology that openly seeks civilizational influence. With a sitting Defense Secretary publicly linked to a CREC congregation and amplifying its leading pastor, questions that once seemed niche—household voting, women’s roles in public life, LGBTQ criminalization, and a confessional state—move from church blogs to the policy sphere. You don’t have to accept every critical framing to see the stakes: the beliefs and governance culture of an arch-conservative church network now intersect with decisions about the largest employer in the country and a pluralistic military sworn to the Constitution. AP News

---

Key Sources to Explore

• CREC official site and governing documents (constitution, procedures, memorials). crechurches.org+1
• AP explainer on Hegseth’s affiliation. AP News
• PBS primer on the church Hegseth attends (Pilgrim Hill, TN). PBS
• URCNA and PCA reports on Federal Vision. urcna.orgPCA Historical Center
• CREC presiding-ministers report on Sitler & Wight; Christ Church’s Sitler timeline. moscowid.netChrist Church
• SPLC on Southern Slavery, As It Was plagiarism; Wilson’s own acknowledgment. Southern Poverty Law CenterBlog & Mablog